“Be careful, Mr.
Ellis.”
The commander’s gaze moved to the admiral.
“There it is.”
Kane realized too late what he had done.
“There is what?”
“Pressure on a witness during an active assessment.”
“I gave him professional advice.”
“You warned him immediately after he confirmed conduct involving you.”
“I did no such thing.”
The commander reached toward the small radio clipped inside her vest.
She pressed one button.
A green light stopped blinking.
Brooks stared at it.
The device had been recording.
Not secretly.
It had been visible the entire time, tucked beside her visitor badge.
No one had noticed because they had been too interested in the absence of rank on her chest.
Kane stepped closer to the marked line.
“Was this entire interaction recorded?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Under whose authority?”
“The authorization number your range staff validated at 1427.”
Ellis lifted the sign-in clipboard.
The stamped number remained at the top of the page.
Kane looked from the recorder to the range tower.
“I want the assessment suspended until installation counsel reviews the legality of this procedure.”
The commander nodded once.
“You may request that.”
The admiral seemed to recover a fraction of his confidence.
“Good.”
“But you cannot order it.”
His eyes narrowed.
“I am the senior officer present.”
“Not for this assessment.”
That was the counter-force he had not understood.
Her authority did not come from standing higher than everyone on the range.
It came from a written mandate placed outside Kane’s command chain.
He could not cancel it, classify it away, or direct Ellis to destroy the record.
Brooks tried a different approach.
“This has been blown out of proportion,” he said.
“There was some joking.
Maybe it was inappropriate, but no one was harmed.”
The commander rose from the mat.
She was shorter than Brooks by several inches.
She still made him step back.
“You reached toward a prepared weapon after being told not to touch it,” she said.
“You mocked an authorized shooter instead of verifying her clearance.
You encouraged others to treat uncertainty as permission for contempt.
Then you changed your explanation after learning her rank.”
Brooks opened his mouth.
She did not raise her voice.
“That is not one mistake.
It is a sequence.”
Ellis lowered his eyes to the clipboard.
The commander turned toward him.
